[rawrster]

 
Quote:

any chance theyre like this because they were given away as samples and will change when available to the general public?

I doubt it. Typically review products stuff and when they go on sale are pretty much the same. Although I hope Fang reads this and thinks about changing the adapter into something less bulky and more portable friendly...unless someone goes and makes a better adapter that is not as bulky.

 

[JosephKim]

man im so disappointed.

 

[ClieOS]

Don't forget RE-ZERO is never really aimed to the general public. It is a limited edition that is meant to be driven in balanced mode. How many people beside those who own RSA Predetor + custom IEM actually listen to balanced audio in portable setup? Head-Direct isn't trying to make another flagship out of RE-ZERO, that is the job for the upcoming RE-262.

 

[ASilva]

Quote:

Don't forget RE-ZERO is never really aimed to the general public. It is a limited edition that is meant to be driven in balanced mode. How many people beside those who own RSA Predetor + custom IEM actually listen to balanced audio in portable setup? Head-Direct isn't trying to make another flagship out of RE-ZERO, that is the job for the upcoming RE-262.

Yeah but I wonder... Would the people that own Customs and the RSA care about the REZero? The RE0 is quite nice, specially for its price, but it's not custom-quality i bet. And I don't see the REZero being something that is, specially for 100$

 

[Bina]

Quote:

Don't forget RE-ZERO is never really aimed to the general public. It is a limited edition that is meant to be driven in balanced mode. How many people beside those who own RSA Predetor + custom IEM actually listen to balanced audio in portable setup? Head-Direct isn't trying to make another flagship out of RE-ZERO, that is the job for the upcoming RE-262.

But which player/amp  you should use with RE-Zero? Is there any using balanced 3,5 mm Jack? Or you must make adaptor to Protector plug?

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Don't forget RE-ZERO is never really aimed to the general public. It is a limited edition that is meant to be driven in balanced mode. How many people beside those who own RSA Predetor + custom IEM actually listen to balanced audio in portable setup? Head-Direct isn't trying to make another flagship out of RE-ZERO, that is the job for the upcoming RE-262.

Of course, but the guys at Head-Direct had to have known that if they were to fix at least some of the less popular aspects of the RE0 sound signature, people would flock to whatever they put out. The RE0 has become the de-facto introductory audiophile set of IEMs here at head-fi and making them more universally appealing has... universal appeal. I don't mind the idea of having to use an adapter so much as the adapter itself... it's just too poorly thought-out and seems more like a penny-pinching afterthought than a pre-meditated inclusion. And if the RE-ZERO was aimed only at the owners of balanced amps, the math doesn't add up even with a 1000-unit run

. Besides, I've already seen a flurry of RE-ZERO recommendations all over the place when only a handful of people have even seen the IEM in person. Seems that at least some of the general public will end up with the RE-ZERO one way or another.
 
Either way, I'm interested in seeing what happens next. They do sound quite brilliant, I must admit. Not being able to take them with me on the move will certainly limit the number of hours I put on them personally but I'll probably end up getting a short extension cord to make that adapter at least somewhat flexible.

 

[testrichard]

 
Quote:

Don't forget RE-ZERO is never really aimed to the general public. It is a limited edition that is meant to be driven in balanced mode. How many people beside those who own RSA Predetor + custom IEM actually listen to balanced audio in portable setup? Head-Direct isn't trying to make another flagship out of RE-ZERO, that is the job for the upcoming RE-262.

exactly as i dont have balanced set up, not even desktop one
 
it is anniversary limited edition, i m sure at least RE-zero could solve one question ~ that's how will RE-0 sound if it is cabling with balanced set up? same question as what if all other current favorite earphone/headphone would sound like if they are balanced ??

 

[testrichard]

 
Quote:

Yeah but I wonder... Would the people that own Customs and the RSA care about the REZero? The RE0 is quite nice, specially for its price, but it's not custom-quality i bet. And I don't see the REZero being something that is, specially for 100$

RE-0 has often being compare upwards rather than downwards, but if you wanna compare $100 to $500 + custom, i guess on value perspective it cant never loss too much right =) just compare it to the cheapest available balanced phones on the market~ whats the cheapest one on the market by the way? does any one know may be ?
 
besides Head-Direct didn't play tricks on "limited edition" game and bump up the price ridiculously , its the same price as RE-0 before promotion ~ there's nothing to be sad about, if it is custom after market work, you hardly can find any one to mod your phone into balance for the price of $20 difference

 

[ClieOS]

Quote:

Yeah but I wonder... Would the people that own Customs and the RSA care about the REZero? The RE0 is quite nice, specially for its price, but it's not custom-quality i bet. And I don't see the REZero being something that is, specially for 100

While I am not saying $1500 custom doesn't sound better (as they generally do), you will be surprised as to how little improvement you get from paying a few hundreds to a thousand plus. Diminishing return is the iron rule in audio world. Don't assume that just because it is custom is must be a lot better than universal IEM, at least not proportional to price increment.
 
Quote:

But which player/amp  you should use with RE-Zero? Is there any using balanced 3,5 mm Jack? Or you must make adaptor to Protector plug?

I would imagine the point of having a balanced plug is so that it is simply for the user to make their own 3.5mm TRRS to XLR adapter (or Protector adapter in that matter). If people are willing to buy a whole new cable (which is not cheap) to use their custom with Protector, some of them are definitely willing to make the adapter or find a person to do so. Also, don't forget other amp makers (i.e. iBasso) is also going to make balanced amp, and I bet they won't use the same plug as Protector. At least a 3.5mm TRRS is easier for making an adapter.
 
Quote:

Of course, but the guys at Head-Direct had to have known that if they were to fix at least some of the less popular aspects of the RE0 sound signature, people would flock to whatever they put out. The RE0 has become the de-facto introductory audiophile set of IEMs here at head-fi and making them more universally appealing has... universal appeal. I don't mind the idea of having to use an adapter so much as the adapter itself... it's just too poorly thought-out and seems more like a penny-pinching afterthought than a pre-meditated inclusion. And if the RE-ZERO was aimed only at the owners of balanced amps, the math doesn't add up even with a 1000-unit run

. Besides, I've already seen a flurry of RE-ZERO recommendations all over the place when only a handful of people have even seen the IEM in person. Seems that at least some of the general public will end up with the RE-ZERO one way or another.  
Either way, I'm interested in seeing what happens next. They do sound quite brilliant, I must admit. Not being able to take them with me on the move will certainly limit the number of hours I put on them personally but I'll probably end up getting a short extension cord to make that adapter at least somewhat flexible.

IMO, RE252 is supposed to fix the RE0 sound signature (and it does in some way). If people want to buy themselves into a hype without examining any of the fact first, I think the problem doesn't lie solely in the manufacturer. It is like plenty of new user complaint about RE0 bass not being strong enough while at least a few hundreds post, impression and warning have been made in the past. There are people who buy things without research, and there always will be. Individual needs to understand that the consensus doesn't equal to personal truth. For the least this threads and a few others already point out the potential issue with the design. That is the whole point of giving sample for review, so other might learn something about the new product without anyone being the lab rat.
 

 

[ASilva]

Quote:

While I am not saying $1500 custom doesn't sound better (as they generally do), you will be surprised as to how little improvement you get from paying a few hundreds to a thousand plus. Diminishing return is the iron rule in audio world. Don't assume that just because it is custom is must be a lot better than universal IEM, at least not proportional to price increment.
 

Yeap, i haven't had the chance to try out any customs but i've tried 200+$ IEMs (IE8 for example) and to be honest I think my RE0 do quite well against them. The only thing i can point out is the bass which is a little shy for my taste but that's just me, i'm a bass player and bass lover so i like it with a bit more punch and presence. They do fairly well in that regard with a little EQ though

 

[ljokerl]

Alright, so fang responded regarding the adapter in the other thread before it was rudely taken off topic by someone complaining about Head-Direct's CS.
 
Quote:

Final product will not have same 2 to 1 adaptor in review samples. Another words, the 2 to 1 adaptor is only to help reviewers to evaluate sound quality because our formal adaptor is not ready yet. We will have the RE-ZERO available in 10 days (end of next week) because we are waiting for the new adaptor finished. The final adaptor will look like the following iphone adaptor, but has normal TRS mini plug and TRRS balanced jack on the other end.
 

 

Also, according to him the 'mystery item' in the accessory pack was a mistake and is not supposed to be included with the RE-ZERO (I suppose that's a hint 

)
 

 

[Inks]

what a relief, that adaptor makes it portable again.

 

[testrichard]

Just received my RE-Zero this morning(suppose to be yesterday morning actually but i thought the guy is salesman so i didn't answer the door)
 
hope not considering hijacking the thread
 
few quick initial thoughts ~ the bass is stronger, at least double the RE-0 bass quantity! quality is still there.
 
i have to do more run-in 1st as i only just woke up and both RE-0 and RE-zero sounds Sharpe to me~ (sensitive ear, RE0 dont sound sharpe normally and i love RE0)
 
i use the splitter to plug in both phones for run-in and might do the same later on when comparing (if the splitter makes difference to RE-0 then i wont use it)
 
the gun metallic is very sexy~
 
also very important , RE-zero are slightly larger than RE-0 by that i mean the unit itself are larger, confirmed by putting next to each other and also harder to put ear tips on(but once on it is really tight)
 
also i dont have that pair of little screw things the joker received , so i think it wasnt mean to be in the packging

 

[slntdth93]

would you consider the RE-ZERO in single ended mode to be a well amped RE0 ?

 

[testrichard]

Quote:

would you consider the RE-ZERO in single ended mode to be a well amped RE0 ?

i m not quite sure what you mean, could you explain to us may be ? right now my focus is trying to find out if there are any difference between the two since they are their own competitors . if i have any thought i have to create another topic instead here, as it would really be hijacking joker's post
 
besides~ not being able to properly pair up RE-zero with balanced AMP/DAP makes my impression incomplete as i would never know what RE-zero really capable of